title: Patient, visitor, and nurse evaluations of visitation for adult postanesthesia care unit patients.
abstract: Although PACU visitation for children is sometimes encouraged, most families of adult postoperative patients continue to be excluded from PACUs in this country. At an academic medical center, an open visitation policy for adult postoperative patients was evaluated by eliciting patient, visitor, and nurse evaluations of visitation for adult patients from 181 families. Commonly cited reasons for restricting PACU visitation were not identified as problems by the vast majority of respondents. Even when some aspect of a PACU visit was disturbing, patients and families expressed a desire for visitation. The results of this evaluation of a change in practice led to permanent implementation of an open visitation policy in this PACU.
authors.affiliation: Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH 03756, USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tuller
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: McCabe
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cronenwett
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hastings
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Shaheen
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Daley-Faulkner
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wheeler
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001294:Attitude to Health; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000523:psychology*; D016528:Postanesthesia Nursing; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D011997:Recovery Room; D014789:Visitors to Patients / Q000523:psychology*